Huddlestone and King ‘to benefit from Gareth Barry’s ankle injury with England calls’

Tottenham holding midfielder
Tom Huddlestone and versatile defender
Ledley King could both be included in
Fabio Capello’s 30-man England squad on Monday after
Gareth Barry was ruled out for four weeks with an ankle injury.

The Manchester City star is now at risk of missing the World Cup this summer after being diagnosed with a ligament injury which could take at least four weeks to recover from.

Huddlestone and King, who coincidentally both played against Barry in the game that saw the former Aston Villa midfielder hobble off, are now being tipped to sneak into Capello’s provisional squad next week.

Barry could still return in time to make the plane to South Africa, but faces a race against time with the Three Lions’ opening game just five weeks away.

Huddlestone, 23, had been mentioned as a possible wildcard for Capello’s provisional training squad even before Barry’s injury.

But as a like-for-like replacement, the ex-Derby player – who has enjoyed a superb season in helping Tottenham to fourth place in the Premier League – has now apparently moved up in the pecking order.

Despite his well-documented fitness problems which largely prevent him from playing two games in a week, King is seen as one of the nation’s most naturally gifted defensive players.

Although normally used as a centre-back, the 29-year-old earned rave reviews for his performances when played as a holding midfielder in the build-up to the 2006 World Cup, which he missed with a metatarsal injury.

And it is thought Capello still views him as an option in that role, given his excellent reading of the game, positional awareness, and man-marking ability.

The England manager is keeping his cards close to his chest over the details of his training squad, which will be whittled down to 23 players later in the month.

But one thing is certain, Capello is looking closely at his options after hearing the news on Barry – who was one of several senior players virtually guaranteed a spot in the squad until now.